For a laptop that lasts, these are the brands to buy

When looking for a new laptop, you want a machine that you won’t have to drag back in for repairs for at least several years. Reliability and dependable performance rank high on buyer’s lists, but which brands are the best? Which manufacturer offers the most reliable laptops? To find out, we’ve scanned the pages of Consumer Reports, considered reader’s choice selections, analyzed crowd-sourced voting, and consulted the studies of our peers. Combining all of that with our own experience in laptop testing, we’ve pieced together a consensus on the most reliable brands out there today. Read on to find out which brand is the most dependable.

Type of laptop

Before we start naming names, we’re going to point out a general rule: The smaller the laptop, the higher the failure rate appears to be.

There are several reasons for this. Small laptops are harder to take apart and repair yourself, so official repairs may be more common. They are also more portable, and therefore more likely to be dropped or banged around. So before considering specific brands, take note that if you want a more durable laptop, opt for the larger models.

Most reliable: Apple

MacBook Pro 13 with Retina

If there’s one thing that nearly everyone agrees on, it’s that Apple laptops are the most reliable of the bunch. When you buy a MacBook Pro, you know what to expect, and that rarely involves failures or returns. Part of this is due to Apple’s solid design philosophy. MacBooks, Airs, and Pros are consistently growing thinner and more powerful, but the overall design style remains the same.

The aluminum frame and tightly packed electronics also help reduce damage and failure rates. In fact, Apple’s devices tend to get more reliable with later generations, as design becomes tighter.

Removing ports, for example, is not a popular move — but it does decrease what can break.

It’s also worth noting that Apple does many of the smaller things well. The keyboards are snappy, pleasant to use, and nigh unbreakable under usual circumstances. The battery life of MacBooks tends to be high, too, and doesn’t suffer from swift performance drop-offs or fluctuation. Displays issues tend to be rare, and in Consumer Reports studies, Apple beat out nine other laptop brands when it came to needing repairs within the first three years of ownership.

On the other hand, MacBooks are a definite blow to your wallet, ranging from $1,000 to $1,800 for the most popular models. That’s a lot of money for the average laptop buyer. Despite the high price, the default warranty lasts only a year, as with other more affordable brands. But Apple has on multiple occasions offered free warranty extensions for common manufacturing issues, a practice other brands rarely emulate.

Buy one now from:

Apple  Best Buy

Second pick: Dell

Dell’s work, particularly in the ultrabook field, has yielded an incredible new crop of ultraportable laptops that work great, have powerful specs, and don’t give up the ghost without a fight. If you need a PC for work or school and want it to last for as long as possible, Dell’s machines are a great choice.

This is especially true with its latest XPS models, which do a little of everything and do it anywhere. This includes the latest screen resolutions, connections, and software. In a recent review of ours, the Dell Inspiron 13 7000 2-in-1 really impressed us, blending its typical reliability and somewhat flashy looks, with solid internal hardware for its price point.

Another important reason Dell gets such high marks for reliability is that Dell’s customer support is easily the best you’ll find outside of Apple. If something goes wrong, a quick customer service call with Dell is more likely to yield a solution, or at least a repair plan, than with other brands. Sometimes the most important factor in reliability isn’t the computer itself, but the company you are dealing with.

Buy one now from:

Dell Microsoft

Third pick: Asus

Asus ZenBook UX305UA

If you want an extra-reliable computer, but don’t want to pay too much for it, then you’ll be pleased to see that Asus also makes it on our list of the most reliable laptop brands. The company has consistently scored well in surveys, though it usually doesn’t take top marks.

While you might want to avoid some of its higher-end, gaming laptops, Asus computers tend to be sleeker and lighter than a lot of brands on the market. If you are less interested in a desktop replacement and more interested in a portable option, this is the path to follow. Asus also tends to lean toward extremes, with laptops of many varying sizes. There’s a good deal of experimentation and joint ventures in this brand, which makes it an interesting option to explore.

The downside to Asus is its customer support, which is hit-or-miss. The company receives average to below-average marks in customer service surveys we’ve seen. Web support is a particular sore spot. Navigating the Asus website can be confusing, even if the company is not the worst in this regard.

Buy one now from:

Amazon Asus Newegg

Runner-up: Samsung

Samsung is a newcomer to our list, and though its Notebook 9 15-inch didn’t fair too well in our review, the company has been producing quality laptops for a number of years. It came in second place during the latest Consumer Reports customer survey for reliability, and the Samsung Chromebook Plus ended up earning out Best in Show award at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Samsung’s current lineup ranges from mid-range, more affordable offerings with Intel Core i5 processors, right up to powerful Core i7 systems with 4K displays. The bodies of its new Notebook 9 models utilize a magnesium alloy, which provides durability and a lightweight frame, making the units less likely to be dropped. If you do manage to drop your machine, though, it’s also more likely to survive.

Unlike higher entries on our list, Samsung’s customer support leaves something to be desired. In LaptopMag’s support testing, it won a respectable, but less than stellar 67/100, falling well behind Apple and Dell and just behind Asus. And although Samsung does offer a standard one-year warranty with options for up to 36 months of coverage, it does not currently offer first-party extended warranties.

Buy one now from:

Samsung Amazon

Final note: Extended warranties

When it comes to repairs and malfunctions, one of the most important computer components is that warranty document. So what’s the deal with warranties today? Basically, don’t worry too much.

Extended warranties, as a general rule, exist to make extra money for companies. Buying one doesn’t tend to do much good — only about 8 percent of people who have extended warranties ever use them, according to Consumer Reports.

Additionally, the normal warranty that comes with a new machine is likely to cover around 75 percent of common repairs or problems anyway. Yes, it will suck if you don’t buy the warranty and you happen to have a problem, but, over the long haul, the extended warranty tends to cost more than it’s worth.

Update: Replaced Toshiba with Samsung in the runner-up position.